| With a well-earned reputation for tolerance of both prostitution
and miscegenation, New Orleans became known as the Great Southern
Babylon in antebellum times. Following the Civil War, a profound
alteration in social and economic conditions gradually reshaped
the city's sexual culture and erotic commerce. Historian Alecia
P. Long traces sex in the Crescent City over fifty years,
drawing from Louisiana Supreme Court case testimony to relate
intriguing tales of people both obscure and famous whose relationships
and actions exemplify the era.
Long uncovers a connection between the geographical segregation
of prostitution and the rising tide of racial segregation.
She offers a compelling explanation of how New Orleans's lucrative
sex trade drew tourists from the Bible Belt and beyond even
as a nationwide trend toward the commercialization of sex
emerged. And she dispels the romanticized smoke and perfume
surrounding Storyville to reveal in the reasons for its rise
and fall a fascinating corner of southern history. The
Great Southern Babylon portrays the complex mosaic of
race, gender, sexuality, social class, and commerce in turn-of-the-twentieth-century
New Orleans.
"Long brilliantly charts the historical roots and evolution
of the culture of commercial sexuality in New Orleans. . .
. The result is a landmark book all should read."—Darlene
Clark Hine, coauthor of A Shining Thread of Hope: The
History of Black Women in America
Alecia P. Long is an assistant professor
of history at Georgia State University. She lives in Atlanta
and New Orleans.
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